Tuesday, August 24, 2004

One of those foreign leaders that secretly want Kerry to win has popped his head up: Kim Jong Il of North Korea.

What tripped this guy’s button appears to be that W was in Wisconsin and had the unmitigated gall to say, well, let me give you the DPRK’s version: “He [W] asserted that it is necessary for the U.S., China, Japan, south [sic] Korea and Russia to unite and they are urging ‘the tyrant’ [Kim Jong Il] to disarm himself.”

How can a dictator shorter than Napoleon respond to such a vile statement?

“Bush who styles himself president of a super power went the lengths of decrying the supreme headquarters of a sovereign state and saying this or that of it unbecoming for his position. This clearly proves that the DPRK was quite right when it commented that he is a political imbecile bereft of even elementary morality as a human being and a bad guy, much less being a politician.”

Take that; and this: “The DPRK will increase thousand times [sic] its capability for self defense, the people's life and sole [sic], to frustrate the extremely escalating moves of the U.S. to isolate and stifle it.”

OK. A thousand times their present level exceeds one hundred percent. Reading their statements is like trying to follow Kerry around Cambodia – you’re told you are there, but you are actually nowhere. Perhaps the mainstream media can interpret it for us. In a piece rich for dissection, the International Herald Tribune assists.

For starters, it seems the Kimster took a page from Moveon.org and compared W to Hitler. Something about trees and shade and Hitler there while W is here. Hitler can’t see too well, or W is blocking the sun. Maybe Kimmy is apologizing for the whole Jewish thing. The illusion is rather confusing. Let’s move on.

The Kimarod’s “diplomatic spokesman” called W “an idiot, an ignorant, a tyrant and a man-killer.” Using “ignorant” as a noun is very interesting. I have friends who speak English as their second language and I love the way they turn a phrase. Maybe “ignoramus” has some literal translation that is positive or they thought it was a mammal. I do share my shock, however, in that W is accused only of killing men; I was predisposed to absorbing baby-killer and woman-killer. “Man-killer” was rather a let-down.

Then it turns solemnly apoplectic (that’s an ESL phrase): “Bush's assumption of office turned a peaceful world into a pandemonium unprecedented in history, as it is plagued with a vicious circle of terrorism and war,” the statement continued. “The president's aides and allies are a typical gang of political gangsters.” Note the reinforcement of “gangsters” by the precedent “gang.” Very effective. He also uses two five-syllable words together: the construction makes the reader slow down and focus, subconsciously bypassing an individual’s veracity filter. Again, very effective. These people may not know English too good but they sure can turn a phrase.

Wanting to leave no doubt as to his true feelings, the Kim-miester tossed (and the IHT interestingly isolates as a two-word phrase; but note the full context above) the epitaph “bad guy” at W. Ouch. You can feel the spittle in those words.

Not wanting to leave the Kiminator flailing about alone in his pond of lunacy, shoes with five-inch lifts resting atop his neatly folded clothes on the shoreline, the IHT finds a Clinton-era diplomat, Kenneth Quinones, and quotes him saying: “The North Koreans made it very clear, politely, that they want Mr. Kerry to win the election.” This is diplomatic relationships at its best. I am reminded of something I heard as a child: “I think I shall walk over there to see what I shall see,” said the blind pig to the deaf horse.

So who is Mr. Quinones? He belongs to a group of folks that feels it would be imprudent to assume that the DPRK is using those underground nuclear facilities for anything inappropriate. Taken from the abstract: “Quinones argues that the media reports of the construction of an alleged underground nuclear facility in the DPRK are the result of deliberate ‘leaks’ by members of the US intelligence community who wish to influence the debate on US policy toward the DPRK. He points to evidence from his own extensive visits to the DPRK that the DPRK relies heavily on underground facilities for a variety of purposes. He argues that, before jumping to any conclusions, the US should demand an on-site inspection of the facility to determine its actual nature.”

There is one highlight to the IHT article. You can always count on the Russians to cut through the rhetoric and give you the bottom line. Referring to a change in administrations come 2005: “He [Alexander Losyukov, who was Russia's negotiator at the talks until this past spring and is now Russia's ambassador to Japan] added in an interview last week: ‘There are expectations in Pyongyang of a change in American policy. Probably they are wrong.’”

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